Hafsa Heravi

Hafsa Heravi (12), from Afghanistan, finished sixth grade with first-class honors, but as an Afghan girl, that’s where her formal education had to stop, schools are closed to girls beyond that point. Rather than let that end her learning, she enrolled in Gohar Shad Begum’s online school and kept pushing toward her dream of becoming a heart surgeon one day.

Not content to learn alone, Hafsa began teaching English for free to her friends and neighbors, encouraging them to study hard and never give up on their goals. She also takes care of cleaning her alley and teaches her students about the importance of cleanliness. She has organized workshops and awareness campaigns encouraging Afghan girls to keep studying, and has written articles in English about reducing waste, achieving goals, and medicine.

Despite the enormous barriers in front of her, Hafsa is quietly building a ripple effect, teaching, mentoring, and inspiring the girls around her to keep dreaming too. Her story shows that even when a door closes, determination can still find a way through the window.